This relates to telecommunications and, in particular, to telephones and interface devices that are interposed between a telephone and a telecommunications network.
Present day telecommunication networks comprise switches that offer a substantial amount of control over the network to provide connectivity and customer features, such as "call waiting", "caller ID", etc. The customers are connected to the network at its extremities, most often through analog lines brought to the homes and offices and connected to simple telephone instruments. The interaction of customers with the network is generally limited still to signaling with the telephone instrument's switch hook and with the dial pad.
It is believed that substantial benefits will accrue to the overall network and to users by imparting more sophisticated network interaction capabilities to the equipment at the extremities of the network.